About three years ago, Dorsett was smitten by an idea he saw on a TED talk. Stanford’s Manu Prakash was discussing what he calls a Foldscope, an origami-based paper microscope that cost less than a dollar to manufacture. Just over a year ago Foldscopes became available and Dorsett purchased a hundred to take along to Laos and Thailand, with the idea of planting the seeds of science among students who otherwise would have little access to science education and microscopes.

Come learn about Foldscopes and how Tacoma’s Johnny Appleseed of Microbiology is planting seeds in the minds of students in the mountains and rural communities of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.